New Freedom Technical Assistance

The Federal Transit Administration is committed to helping its stakeholders implement the New Freedom program and responding to questions about the program. The technical assistance resouces listed below should help stakeholders better understand, implement, and comply with FTA's New Freedom program requirements and guidelines as well as the cross-cutting requirements for the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities program (Section 5310) and the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program (Section 5316). For additional technical assistance, please contact the FTA Office of Transit Programs at (202) 366-2053.

New Freedom Training Documents

The following power point presentations were developed to train FTA staff, grant recipients, and other stakeholders on the objectives of the New Freedom Program and New Freedom Program Guidance.

Technical Assistance Center

Easter Seals Project ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation) is a national technical assistance project funded through a cooperative agreement with FTA. The mission of Easter Seals Project ACTION is to encourage and facilitate cooperation between the disability and transportation communities with the goal of achieving universal access through transportation for people with disabilities nationwide.

Easter Seals Project ACTION offers various resources, including a toll-free hotline, website, publications clearinghouse, and quarterly newsletter, as well as training and technical assistance, in an effort to make the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) work for everyone, everyday.

Additional Resources

The Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and partners at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education support a range of technical assistance initiatives for coordinating human service transportation. These programs and centers are charged with providing training, resources, and direct assistance to communities and States interested in enhancing the mobility and transportation options for all citizens, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, and people with low incomes. The following list includes technical assistance and training resources available for various aspects of human service transportation:

The National Joblinks Employment Transportation Initiative, known as Joblinks, is funded by the Departments of Transportation and Labor. Joblinks is a program designed to help communities overcome one of the most significant barriers preventing individuals with low incomes from getting and keeping jobs—transportation. Joblinks has a national peer-to-peer network that links local agencies with experienced practitioners familiar with the human services and workforce development environments and knowledgeable about special client transportation needs.

Through Joblinks, communities can receive access to technical assistance and training specialists who can provide solid problem-solving technical support, particularly in the areas of coordinating client transportation resources and operations, marketing, system start-up and financing, human resource management, and developing accessible services. Job Links also supports an on-line information center that connects you with employment transportation news, resources and ideas. Joblinks is administered by the Community Transportation Association of America.

National Rural Transportation Assistance Program

The National Rural Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) was established by FTA in 1987 to provide a wide range of professional services and products. The National RTAP, administered by the American Public Works Association, provides outreach and training to each State’s RTAP and coordinates with other organizations involved in rural transit. The National RTAP also works collaboratively with the Community Transportation Association of America to operate a national toll-free telephone line, a Web page, a national peer-to-peer technical assistance network and various presentations and publications and fulfillment services for National RTAP products.

The National TA Center in Senior Transportation focuses on the transportation needs of older adults. The Center conducts analysis of technical assistance needs assist local communities and States. Through analysis and assessment, the national center also provides technical assistance and training on specific strategies for enhancing senior mobility. The Center focuses on a family of services that includes driving transition, travel training for fixed route bus, paratransit services, and alternative transportation options including door through door, volunteer, and taxi programs.

The ITS Peer-to-Peer Program provides assistance through its network of over 120 DOT approved ITS professionals who have planned, implemented and operated ITS in urban and rural areas. Most of the Program’s Peers are public sector ITS practitioners. The Peer to Peer Program delivers short term assistance according to an agency’s ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) needs. Assistance may include telephone consultations, off-site document reviews, presentations, and visits to the site. The program continues to assist metropolitan and rural clients to create solutions for a variety of highway, transit, and motor carrier interests. The program offers assistance in virtually all areas of ITS planning, design, deployment and operations.

The National Transit Institute at Rutgers University was established in 1992 to conduct training and educational programs related to public transportation. Funded by FTA, NTI’s mission is to provide training, education, and clearinghouse services in support of public transportation and quality of life in the United States. Training is available to public transportation agencies, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), State Departments of Transportation and other agencies providing transportation services.

The Transportation Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) is your ticket to information central. Practical research that yields near term results can do much to help—by solving operational problems, adoptions useful technologies from related industries and, in general, finding ways for public transportation to be innovative. Funded by DOT and FTA, the program places primary emphasis on putting the results in the hands of organizational and individuals that can use them to solve problems. The information is easily accessible through print, Web documents, CD ROMS and diskettes, and it is free through the American Public Transportation Association’s TCRP Dissemination Center.

The purpose of Multi-State Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) is to provide a forum through which State-level public transportation agencies can communicate with each other about Federal transit regulations, grant program management, and technical issues pertaining to everyday administration of public transportation service. MTAP was developed to benefit the member States as well as their Federal program counterparts and local transit operators. Networking among the States is conducted through two annual meetings, peer-to-peer assistance, conference calls, and electronic communication. MTAP is administered by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).